National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) | NLG LIBRARIES FY22 P2

Opportunity Information: Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY22 P2

The National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) opportunity is a discretionary grant program run by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) designed to fund high-impact projects that tackle critical, field-wide challenges in libraries and archives. The central aim is to strengthen library and archival services for the American public by supporting work that can move professional practice forward in meaningful, measurable ways. Rather than funding routine operations, the program emphasizes initiatives that can produce broadly useful outcomes for the wider field, especially efforts that help institutions respond to evolving community needs, technology shifts, information access issues, and long-term stewardship of collections.

IMLS is looking for projects that result in tangible products and lessons that others can use, adapt, scale, or replicate. Examples of the kinds of results the program expects include new service models, practical tools or platforms, research findings that inform decision-making, tested practices and workflows, and partnerships or alliances that create lasting capacity beyond a single organization. A key theme is leverage: the agency is trying to ensure that federal dollars generate benefits that extend well past the direct grantee, so proposals are typically strongest when they are designed for broad adoption, dissemination, and long-term value to the library and archives ecosystem.

The application process is structured in two phases, which is important for planning. In Phase I, every applicant must submit a preliminary proposal by the deadline associated with the notice. IMLS then reviews these preliminary submissions and selects a smaller group of applicants to move forward. In Phase II, only those selected applicants are invited to submit full proposals, and only invited full proposals are eligible to be considered for funding. For this 2022 cycle, invited full proposals were due March 25, 2022, indicating that the Phase I preliminary proposal stage occurred earlier, with Phase II serving as the final, competitive review for awards.

From a funding standpoint, this opportunity supports grant awards with an upper limit (award ceiling) of $1,000,000 per award, signaling that IMLS is willing to fund large, ambitious projects with national or broad regional significance. The notice also anticipates about 40 awards, which suggests a competitive program with a meaningful number of funded projects, often spanning a range of topics and approaches across the country. The program is categorized under Arts and Humanities (cultural affairs), reflecting the role libraries and archives play in cultural heritage, learning, and public access to information. The CFDA number associated with the program is 45.312, which is commonly used for tracking and compliance purposes in federal assistance programs.

Eligibility is listed as "Others," with clarification referenced in an additional eligibility section of the full notice. In practice, IMLS library grant programs often involve libraries, archives, universities, nonprofits, consortia, and other mission-aligned organizations, sometimes with an emphasis on partnerships that bring together multiple institutions and perspectives. Because the eligibility label here is broad, applicants would need to consult the program’s detailed eligibility language to confirm whether their organization type qualifies and whether any partnership, cost sharing, or other requirements apply.

In short, National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) is aimed at ambitious, field-shaping work: projects that solve important problems, produce transferable solutions, and strengthen services and stewardship across libraries and archives. The two-step submission process screens for the most promising ideas before inviting full proposals, and the funding levels indicate support for substantial initiatives capable of generating widely shared tools, evidence, and practices.

• The Institute of Museum and Library Services in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.312.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 26, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 25, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY22 P2

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: